Israeli hostage Shiri Bibas's family confirm new body returned by Hamas is hers

The development comes amid outrage in Israel after the body returned earlier this week by Hamas, which it claimed to be that of Shiri Bibas, turned out to be someone else.

In Short

• Shiri Bibas came to symbolise ordeal of hostages taken by Hamas
• The body returned by Hamas on Thursday turned out to be of someone else
• Israeli Prime Minister threatened Hamas with 'paying a heavy price'

The body handed over to Israel by Palestinian terror outfit Hamas on Friday has been confirmed to be that of hostage Shiri Bibas, her family said in a statement on Saturday. The development comes amid widespread outrage in Israel after the body returned earlier this week by Hamas, which it claimed to be that of Shiri Bibas, turned out to be someone else.

The 32-year-old mother of two had come to symbolise the ordeal of hostages taken by Hamas during its October 7, 2023, offensive.

"After the identification process, we received the news this morning that we had feared: our Shiri was murdered in captivity... She has returned home to her sons, her husband, her sister, and all her family to rest," a statement by the Bibas family said.

Shiri's husband, Yarden Bibas, was released by Hamas earlier this month after being in captivity for 484 days. On Thursday, Hamas handed over four bodies as part of a ceasefire deal that has paused the brutal war in Gaza.

The Palestinian outfit claimed the bodies were of Shiri, her two young sons, Kfir and Ariel, and another captive, Oded Lifshitz. However, forensic tests by Israeli authorities found the body to be not of Shiri Bibas, prompting outrage in the Jewish nation and concerns about the deal being upended.

An irate Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he would make "Hamas pay" for not returning the body of Shiri. In a hard-hitting video statement, Netanyahu said, "We will act with determination to bring Shiri home along with all our hostages - both living and dead - and ensure Hamas pays the full price for this cruel and evil violation of the agreement."

On Friday, Hamas released another body, which was confirmed to be of Shiri. The outfit said it had been "mistakenly mixed" with others who were buried under the rubble in Gaza.

Hamas has maintained that Shiri and her two children were killed in an Israeli airstrike in Gaza - a claim dismissed by Israel.

On Saturday, six more hostages will be returned by Hamas in exchange for more than 600 Palestinian prisoners. The ceasefire deal, which came into effect on January 19, has halted months of brutal fighting that killed 48,000 Palestinians in Gaza, triggering a humanitarian crisis.